Disk cultivator



G. D. HOUSTON.

DIS K CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, I918 Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m m m H..

G. D. HOUSTON.

DISK CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22 I918.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GEORGE D. HOUSTON, 0F RUSHVILLE, ILLINOIS.

DISK CULTIVATOR.

Application filed June 22, 1918.

i '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen D. l lous'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rushville, in the county of Schuyler and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disk Cultivators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to disk cultivators and has for its primary object the provision of a cultivator of the disk type in which the earth displaced by the cultivator disks is wholly or partially returned to its original position as the machine travels, whereby each cultivation is completed in a single operation.

Further objects and advantages of my invention reside in the various combinations hereinafter described and claimed as will be better understood by reference to the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cultivator embodying my invention with parts broken away for better illustration;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view ofthe axle.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4:.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showing the connection between the seat lever and the arch.

Referring to the drawings 5 indicates the cultivator frame which may be of any suitable construction and which is supported on an axle carried by the wheels 7. A seat lever 8 is preferably made of two parallel bars secured together and carries at its rear end a seat 9. This seatlever is supported on a T bolt 10 secured to the axle so that it may swing in vertical and lateral planes. The forward end of the seat lever is pivotally connected at 8 to an arch 11 and at the ends of the arch there are bearing members 11 which are pivoted to swing in vertical planes. Pendulum hangers 12 are pivotally connected at their upper ends to brackets 13 on the frame and at their lower ends to the bearing members 11".

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

Serial at. 241,311. i

The forward ends of the cultivator beams 11 are rigidly connected to the bearing members 11 against relative lateral movement, but by reason of the pivotal connection of the bearing members 11 with the arch, the beams 14 are capable of independent vertical swinging movement. The rear ends of the cultivator beams are supported by a spring lift comprising rods 15, springs 16, arms 17 and 18 and connections 19 and 20 whereby the beams are held in raised or lowered positions. The structure thus far described is substantially the same as that set forth in my Letters Patent No. 967,195 patented August 16th, 1910. In the drawings the axle is shown as consisting of two members 6, 6 which are connected by bars 36, 36 spaced apart by blocks 37, 37 and secured together by bolts 38.

In carrying out my invention I provide each of the beams 1-l with a yoke 21 having depending arms to support the cultivator disks 92. The yokes 21 are rigidly secured in a suitable manner in adjusted position on the beams and they are interchangeableso that the disk gangs may be arranged in the cultivator to move the earth toward or from the row which is being worked. Secured rigidly to and extending rearwardly from each of theyokes 21 I provide a frame 2 3 to the outer end of which a holder 24 is secured which supports a disk 25 preferably smaller in diameter than the disks 22, and arranged to move the earth in a direction opposite to the direction in which it is moved by the disks 22. The frame 23 may consist, as shown, of a pair of bars 28 having downturned front ends, which are rigidly secured to the sides of the yo re :21 and having their rear ends joined together and provided with a holder 24: for disk 25. As will be readily understood the disks 25 following the disks 22 return a portion of the displaced earth to its original position relatively to the row being worked as the machine travels. This is of material importance when it is understood that in cultivating young corn the disks throw the earth away from the row, leaving it in such condition that either wet or dry weather immediately following cultivation. will have a deleterious influence upon the plants. It is necessary therefore, under the usual practice to follow the original cultivation immediately by a second cultivation with the disks reversed, to return the earth to its original position. By the use of my invention a cultivation is completed in a single operation and in approximately half the time required under present methods and with implements now in common use. When it is considered that cultivationextends througha single month only, and time is a material element the value and advantage of my invention will at once be apparent.

' hezside thrust of cultivator. disks is considerable, and in order to successfully-apply disks to parallel'beam cnltivators"equipped with spring lifts, it is essential to provide means for maintainingethe rearv ends of the cultivator beamsequidistant while permitting relative vertical =movements of the beams. I provideeach of the=beams with a rod 27.

footholdQ-G tOETQC-BIYQ thefeet of the operator. The operator cannot however, maintain-the beams in parallel relation :and I therefore rigidly mountuponeach beam 1a an upright A transverse strap .28 is pivotally connectedat29and 30-to the upper endsof therods27. An arch 31 is pivotally connected at '32and 33 :to the rods'27 adjacent their. lower ends, the arch being preferably formed to *extend over the seat beam 8 to prevent interference with the growing plants. The arch 31 may,-however, be fiattened and may consist ofa straight strap similar to, the strap '28. The structure -described forms a connection between the substantially parallel relation.

. rods '3a connected tothearch 31.

beams 1st which permits relative vertical movements of the beams but prevents movements of the beams toward or from each other-s0 thatathey are rigidlyamaintained in All side tlllLlSlhOfttllB disksisexerted on the strap 28 and arch 31, and the :operator is relieved from anystrain which mightotherwiseresult from an attempt to hold the cultivator beams in parallel relation.

"IVhen-the plants are young it isdesirable tOZpIOtGCi) them from the earthsmovcd by the disks, and-I therefore provide a shield 33 the rear end of which isipreferably supported by The forward-end of the-shield 33 is'supported by a strap 35 extending therefrom tokthe forward end of theseat lever 8 at its connection to the arch 11. The seatlever 8 is utilized in myma'chine to shift the cultivator beams 1% from side 't0-side,:the beamsswingin g on'the pendulumhangers12 and the seat lever havinga-eombined vertical and lateral'motion, whereby the imovement of :the cultivator beams is controlled by the weight of the operator. The connection of the forward endof the shield 33V to the seat lever 8 insures that the shield will follow the movements of worked.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that I have perfected improvements in disk cultivators which materially facilitate the cultivating operation, reducing the time necessarily employed in cultivating a given acreage by completing the cultivation in a singleoperation. .Allside thrust of the disks is eliminated so that proper cultivation-is: assured without danger to the. growing plants. The disksare completely under control of the operator throughout the cultivating operation, a condition neverpreviously 16flllZQ(l'll1-.(1l$k eultivators of this type so far as applicant is aware.

Various changesmaybemade inthe form, arrangement-and constructionof the parts, without departing from the spirit and-scope of the lIIIVBIItIOH OI sacrificing .any of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely the preferredcmbodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a disk cultivator, the combination of a beam, a: gang ofdisks carriedby the beam between its ends, a frame rigid with the gang and extending rearwardtherefrom below the rear portion of the beam. and av single disk carried by said frame in fixed relation to the gang.

2. In a disk cultivator, the combination of a beam, a yoke supported =on the beam, a gang ofdisks carried'by the yoke, a frame extending-rearward from the yoke; and comprising a pair of 'barsconnecteditogetherat their rear-ends andhaving'their front ends downturned and rigidly connected to the sides of the ycke, and a disk carriedby said frame adj a cent the rearend thereof :in fixed relation to the gang.

3. In a disk cultivatorthe combination of a frame, an axle, a seat lever pivotally mounted on the axle to swing laterallyzand vertically, :pcndulum hangers depending from the frame, an arch pivotally connected at its-ends.tothe;hangers and at its top to the front end of the seat lever, a pair of cultivator beams connected at itheir forward ends to the ends of the arclrto swing vertically, yokes supportedon the beams, -gangs of disks carried bythc yokes, frames rigidly secured to the .yokes and extending rearward therefrom, and a disk carried byeachframe behind its gangand in fixedrelationl thereto.

GEORGE ED. HOUSTON. itnesses LILLIAN T. Lmon', BRUCE SHINDEL. 

